BY AISHA IQBAL & ZOE COLVILE A BRACKNELL charity which has provided essential breaks for carers for 18 years is being forced to close due to lack of funding.

The Crossroads Care for Carers scheme, which gives relief to those who care for a disabled or handicapped relative at home and provides them with a break and chance to recuperate, will close its doors in July following a decision not to renew its contract with Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

The council had been one of the major users of Crossroads, based in St Anthony's Close, in Binfield Road, but came to a joint decision with the centre, which was already in financial difficulty.

The loss of the council's £40,000-a-year contract put

an end to any chance that

the centre might survive and the not-for-profit service provider will now have to close.

Simon Pearce, head of Adult Services for Bracknell Forest Borough Council, said: "We were informed by Crossroads that they would be ceasing business from July 1, 2003, and that they would cease being funded by the council in May.

"Bracknell Forest Borough Council had a block contract with Crossroads for £40,000 in 2002/3 and we were negotiating whether we could continue it in 2003/04.

"The cost per hour was considerably more expensive than alternative providers.

"Because of the situation now we are reassessing all the people who received care from Crossroads on the £40k contract and seeking to re-provide the service to all the carers concerned.

"Over £70,000 is available directly to carers for respite breaks in 2003/04 and local carers' organisations will make decisions on the use of this money, which is administered by Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action and local carers groups."

Crossroads spokesman Patricia Havercroft said: "The reason we are closing is we have been unable to identify a reliable source of funding for the coming year.

"The only funding we had was a block funding contract with social services which is no longer feasible due to our financial constraints.

"The council did offer us a contract but it wasn't financially feasible for us as we have been running at a loss for the last three or four years now.

"The present users will suffer because they are not going to get the Crossroads level of expertise. They will have to get other short respite breaks, none of which are as specialist as Crossroads is.

"We do not just provide a regular home respite break. Because of our training and expertise of staff, we can care for all problems — we cover the whole spectrum from birth to death.

"We do not get direct payment from the government carers grant unlike all other schemes.

"I am very sad indeed that we are closing. All our fully trained staff are being approached by other carer schemes because they are well skilled.

"But it is the service users who will find life even more difficult than it already is."